IN THE AIR OF NIGHT
by Sedanur
Summary: Harry Castle is found dead, leaving a mass of controversy behind. While his girlfriend is the main suspect, the police don't have hard proof to take her in charge. Therefore, Adam Hauptman decides to take a hand in the case.
1. INTRO

**IN THE AIR OF NIGHT**

Based on the books of Mercy Thompson Series

All the characters belong to Patricia Briggs, except for Castle Family, Detective Murray, Mia Ribbon & others.

**SUMMARY:** Harry Castle, a certified accountant, comes to work at Pacific Northwest Nation Laboratory in Tri-Cities.

There is more to Mr. Castle than meets the eye. Adam and his pack are the only ones who know the truth about him.

He is not only rich and successful, but also a WALKER, like our Mercy!

One night, something happens to old Harry. He has a heart attack while he is making out with his young girlfriend, Mia.

Even though the police suspects of the woman, they have nothing solid to charge her.

She might think that she'll get away with it, but the local Alpha, Adam Hauptman gets a plan underway.

**Author's Note:**

My inspiration angels are crazy :) While I'm preoccupied with _"The Element of Freedom_", they've pushed me to write a new story.

This story is not connected to the previous ones. It's a brand new plot; some character names are the same, though.

Hope I won't mess up; hope you'll like it.

If you've read it, could you please take a second and review?

Happy Halloween!


	2. Chapter 1

IN THE AIR OF NIGHT

A small bare room was illuminated only by the streetlight coming through the window. On the leather couch, there were two people making love. A man moaned passionately.

Harry Castle lay on his back on the couch. He was a frail-looking man in his early fifties, with thinning gray hair. On top of him is a much younger woman with blonde hair and narrow waist. A very beautiful woman…

She moved wildly, grinding her hips into him. Her head arched back. They moved together - faster - and faster.

The street light slowly began to pull back. As it did, the only light inside the room was coming from the television now.

Further back still… Two uniformed police officers stood before the television, watching the act.

The rain streaked down the windows of the room, lightening flashes outside. More plain clothes policemen were looking, dusting, talking.

On the leather couch, the naked body of Harry Castle was laid, a sheet covering his lower torso. His face was ashen, mouth open; his dull eyes were looking out in a fixed stare. The last instant of his life was etched upon a face frozen in pain.

RESIDENTIAL STREET (NIGHT)

Lightening filled the night sky. The thunder boomed overhead. The wind whipped the rain furiously against anything in its path. At the end of the road, several police cars were in the driveway; their red lights were flashing.

A black SUV pulled into the driveway. Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, stepped out into the rain. He was a handsome man in his thirties, with hard, chiseled features and black, crew-cut hair.

He did not run through the rain. He coolly walked.

Detective Murray, a man who looked more like a chef cooker than a homicide detective run out to meet him.

"Is it Castle?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. Did you know him?"

Harry Castle was the accounting specialist of Pacific Northwest Nation Laboratory and also the spokesman of a community of people who were supporting werewolf rights. Moreover, no one, apart from the local werewolf pack, knew that he was a walker, like Mercy. But a different kind; a panther... He hadn't been _changing_ for years...

A hint of sadness showed on Adam's face. It lasted an instant, then it was gone.

"Sir, do you mind if we get out of the rain?" Murray asked.

Adam didn't move. He ignored the question. "Who found him?"

"His brother's grandchild; Aurah Castle."

"Why was she here?

"She said she had stopped by to pick up some papers."

"Show me," Adam said prosaically.

Detective Murray started for the house. Adam looked up into the night sky, the half moon.

A police photographer was snapping pictures of Castle in bed when Murray entered, followed by Adam. He moved through the medical teams. Anything Adam felt about the gruesome sight before him was hidden behind a mask of listlessness.

Standing by the bed was the ex-divorce lawyer, the new district attorney Kyle, a short, baby-faced man. He had a sad expression on his face. Adam greeted him before he looked down at the body, then over at the Medical Examiner.

"How long?" Adam asked.

"About six hours."

"Cause?"

"Not sure. I'll find out everything you need tomorrow."

"Take a look at this." Adam pointed to the nightstand drawer and he opened it. On top of the nightstand was a bottle of nasal spray. And inside were some sexual aides.

"This guy was into some kinky games." Kyle commented. "I think I'd better have a talk with the grand daughter."

He glanced at the various sexual devices, then he walked out of the room.

IN THE HALLWAY

Aurah Castle was sitting on the chair. Her eyes were bleary, red from crying. She was around eighteen, not very attractive, but her cute looks came from nature; chocolate brown hair, honey-colored eyes with no cosmetics.

Kyle stepped into the hall and walked over to her.

"Miss Castle, I'm a District Attorney, Kyle Brooks. You arrived at what time tonight?"

"At half past eleven."

"Why did you come by?

"I had some papers to pick up from Uncle Harry."

"Do you know who Mr. Castle was with?

"His girlfriend, I assume."

"Do you know her in person?"

"All I know is her first name; Mia. I don't know her surname."

"You wouldn't know her address, either, would you?"

She rubbed her nose with a tissue. "No, but maybe I can get it for you."

"Thank you." Kyle patted on her arm brotherly. "Everything's gonna be all right."

ADAM'S OFFICE – (DAYTIME)

Adam's Office was spacious and sparsely furnished. The walls were almost empty, except there were a couple of photographs from Jesse's high school graduation ceremony and a photo of Mercy's on the desk- which added more prestige to the office. Honey knocked the door once and entered.

Adam raised his head from his paper works and asked: "Is Ben here?"

"He has just arrived."

"Good… Send him in. "

Honey exited. A minute later, Ben walked in.

He was in his usual bitter, yet sarcastic mood.

"Boss, I heard about what had happened to old Harry. Bloody gruesome!"

"We're all shaken," Adam replied, sounding tired. "I was at the crime scene last night. The detective said Harry wasn't alone. They found traces of sperm on the sheets. Moreover, the toxicology report says there were high levels of cocaine in his blood."

Ben grimaced. "He died of drugs?"

"The official cause of death was a cardiac arrest."

"Officially?" Ben gave a thin smug smile.

"That's what the report will say." Adam tapped his fingers on the desk uneasily.

Ben raised a curious eyebrow. "But there's more?

Adam gave Ben a nod to close the door.

"It's speculative at this point. Harry had a heart attack. The heart attack was induced by _excessive aerobic activity_ with his girlfriend -in conjunction with the drugs.

Ben couldn't stop himself from curling his lip. "Are you saying that his girlfriend fucked him to death?"

Adam narrowed his eyes and gave Ben an irascible look.

A trace of a grin showed on Ben's fine-featured face as Adam walked over to the window and stared outside. Ben waited as he thought.

"They found cocaine mixed with water in a nasal spray container on the nightstand. In my opinion, he kept using more and more without knowing what he was taking." Adam broke the silence.

"What if he knew what was in it? Most of the of users put it in nasal spray bottles, so they are able to use it in public." Ben shrugged.

"Cocaine is the last thing a man in his condition would want," Adam replied. His statement was pretty logical.

"Any prints on the nasal spray?"

"Harry's and his girlfriend's."

"So, the girlfriend must be put at the scene."

"That's right. She was already questioned by the police but didn't say much. And they don't have a hard proof to keep her. Therefore I decided we should take a hand in the work ourselves… I need someone to investigate her." Adam turned around and walked to his desk. "And you will do that for me."

"Me? Why me?" Ben'd never questioned his Alpha's orders before, but this time he obviously was taken by surprise.

"I can't send Darryl because Aurielle won't be comfortable with that. I can't send Henry or Warren, either. Since you're the only male who doesn't have a mate, in the pack, this is on you," Adam calmly replied as he took a piece of paper out of his drawer. "And, by the way this is the photo of Harry's girlfriend, Mia Ribbon."

Adam put the computer-printed photo on the desk and pushed it to Ben's side. A woman in her mid twenties, very attractive, but her looks came more from effort than nature; blond-dyed hair, expensive dress and the right cosmetics.

Ben laughed up his sleeve. "Lucky me!"

"Ben, this is business!" Adam gave him a warning. "I'm suspecting of her. She might be the one who did that to Harry. You're gonna try to find out the truth. Do you hear me?"

"How far can I go while investigating her?" Ben mischievously asked.

"Ben!" Adam growled under his teeth.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

(Soundtrack: "Butterfly" - Crazytown)

It wasn't raining yet, but it was a little too misty on that evening. Ben parked his car at the corner of the street. It was an expensive spit of land who had expensive houses with gardens and swimming pools. There were two Ferraris in the driveway - one black, one red.

Ben walked from the car to the door of the big luxury house of late Harry Castle.

He rang the bell. "Be polite," he muttered to himself once before a maid answered. She scanned the blond stranger from head to foot in bewilderment.

"Good evening. I'd like to speak to Mia Ribbon. Is she home?" Ben asked in his nifty British accent.

"Just a moment. Come in," she replied.

She led him into a lavish, beautifully furnished living room and offered a glass of water.

"Sit, please. Just a moment."

Ben looked around, impressed. There are a few expensive art works on the wall.

He smirked… At that moment, a beautiful blonde walked into the room. She looked like she had been asleep. She was in her late 20's. She was wearing a fancy Gucci dress. She took a long look at Ben.

"Hello, Ms. Ribbon. My name is Ben- -"

She interrupted him. "I know who you are. Mr. Hauptman had told me that you were coming."

"Good. I'd like to ask you some questions about Harry Castle's death."

A thin smile appeared on her face. "Are you gonna question me?"

Ben shrugged. "If that's the way you want to play it."

They looked at each other a beat. Then she smiled again.

"I wanna get rid of this dress and high-heeled shoes first. Can I change into something more casual? It'll just take a minute.

Ben nodded.

"Please have a seat and feel comfortable." She turned her direction to the hall and called out to her maid. "Maria! Could you bring my guest a cup of coffee?"

"Thanks," Ben murmured as he put his briefcase on the floor and sat on the armchair.

A few minutes later, the maid brought Ben his coffee. He waited patiently, drinking the coffee. However, something was taking Mia so long.

Ben finished his coffee and put the empty cup on the coffee table. He was bored. He came to his feet and started to pace up and down inside the room.

There was an old newspaper on the couch. Ben bent down to grab it.

The headline said HARRY CASTLE FOUND DEAD. With a photograph of Harry underneath it said THE CAUSE OF DEATH: CARDIAC ARREST.

He stared at the paper, then dropped it on the couch. Now facing a display**, **he saw a photo in a shiny yellow frame; Harry and his older brother Richard side by side with a five-year-old brunette girl holding Richard's hand.

"Put it back on its place!" A voice growled behind him.

Ben rapidly turned around only to see a young girl standing on the first step of the stairs with an irascible look upon her face; Aurah Castle.

She took two long strides to him and took the photo out of his hands harshly:

"Nobody has ever told you not to touch other people's personal stuff without permission, I suppose."

"Who the hell are you?" Ben hoarsely asked.

"Who the hell are YOU?" She put her hands on her sides like _a cat on hot bricks_.

Ben got frustrated. When his hazel eyes turned to yellowish brown, she finally realized that he was a werewolf. That made her take one step backward. She brought the tone of her voice within bounds.

"Sir, I don't know who you think you are and what you are doing in my uncle's house, but you are not allowed to explore."

"I was just looking," Ben managed to say in a neutral tone as if he was cool. "I didn't know that these things are untouchable. No one warned me beforehand."

Aurah polished the glass with her shirt's sleeve. "This photo frame was made in India, with pure golden and Swarovski elements."

"So?" Ben curled a lip. "What the cuss is that supposed to mean?"

She raised her head to look him in the eye – Aurah wasn't short; she was almost 5 ft 7. But, since Ben was 6 ft something, she still had to lift her head up a beat to meet his stare.

"It means," she slowly said, stressing each word to make sure that he understood, "You can never afford to buy one of these, even if you sell yourself!"

Ben's mouth fell open. He'd always been witty enough to give response to everything and everyone, including Mercy. However, he was struck dumb right now towards this Castle girl who put him in his place as soon as they met.

Having his nerves frayed at both ends, he grabbed his briefcase and turned around to leave the house.

"Wait!" Aurah called out behind him. "Why did you come? Are you from homicide?"

Ben didn't exactly cool down, but he stopped for some reason. He turned back towards Aurah.

"I'm not a cop. I've been sent here to conduct an informal inquiry by Adam Hauptman. You must have heard of him."

"Of course… The local Alpha, right? He and Harry were close friends."

"Yes."

"What's exactly on his mind?"

Ben walked to the middle of the room and stopped towards Aurah. He kept the volume of his voice very low.

"Adam thinks this case should not be closed like this."

Aurah raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Is he suspecting of Mia bitch?"

Ben became stultified. "As a matter of fact, yes."

"He's so right."

Ben was even more stultified now. He decided to take a better look at the girl in order to examine her face in detail. Her eyes were tired; heavy from crying. But no tears showed now. This was a girl whose grief was private and not displayed for others. She wasn't knockout gorgeous like Mia, but there was a special air about her.

"If you think Adam is right, then why does your family still let her live in Harry's house?"

"Because there is nothing we can do about it. According to Harry's will, this house is hers now." Aurah sighed.

From the upstairs, Mia's bedroom door was closed at that moment. They both heard her footsteps.

"Look, I don't think that this is the time, or the place," Aurah said in a quiet voice.

"Shall we talk somewhere else later?"

"I don't know. Maybe… I guess you know where to find me."

"Okay," Ben mildly replied.

"I've got to go now. She'd better not see us talking. I guess I'll see you around." Before she walked out of the door, she added "Don't let her fool you." Then she left the room quickly before Mia entered.

Less than a minute afterwards, Mia Ribbon came into the room in her skin tight jeans and tight-fitting sweatshirt. She sat on the armchair directly across from Ben. She took a pocket of cigarettes out of her purse.

"Would you like one?"

"Thanks. I don't smoke," Ben dryly said.

"You don't smoke? Oh, I'm disappointed now."

Ben smirked. "Why? Do I look like a junkie?"

"You look like a guy who is not afraid of experimenting... and taking pleasure." She was poised, cool, in complete command of herself.

Ben didn't say anything but his eyes were already peeled on her. This woman might be a bitch to some, but she was definitely hot.

Crossing her legs, Mia lighted up the cigarette. "So… Ben, what do you want to know? I already told everything about that night to the police."

"I know you did." Ben sat on the edge of the couch. "There is… just a few things… which we can't figure out."

"Like what?"

"For starters, I'd like to know why you left the house and didn't report Harry's death."

"Because he wasn't dead when I left. And even if he was, not reporting a natural death is not a crime."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that it was a natural death?"

Mia stared at him genuinely shocked by his accusation.

"Screw the politeness," Ben muttered to himself under his teeth. He looked right at her. "Did you kill him?"

Mia appeared hurt by the question. "You don't like wasting any time, do you?"

Ben remained silent. He studied her hands as she lifted up the cigarette to her lips. She blew her smoke across Ben.

"Do you think I did it?"

"I don't know… Which is why I'm asking you."

"You know what? That's the difference between werewolves and walkers… You don't have feelings. Some immediate impression; a young, attractive human, involved with an elder man/walker who leaves her everything in his will... With a bonus of wild sex and cocaine… What kind of picture does that paint?

Ben's face seemed expressionless. "A bloody nasty one, I'm afraid."

"And that's exactly what the jury will see when they look at me!" There were tears in her voice.

"Well, you're assuming the District Attorney is going to file charges against you."

Mia's anxiety began to surface for the first time. She feigned a weak smile.

"He will. He's an ambitious man. Ambitious men don't bother to step on other people's back."

"I know him in person. All I can say is Kyle Brooks is not that kind of person," he sincerely said. He paused for a moment. "You still haven't answered my question."

Mia took a long drag of her cigarette before he answered. She looked at Ben. Displaying emotions was not something that came easily. Tears came up in her eyes.

"I loved him. The best part of my life has been torn away from me. A part I can never get back. And what is worse; people are saying that I am somehow responsible for it."

A single tear drop slipped down her cheek. She knew what he wanted to hear her say, and she resented having to say it.

She held his eyes a second, then; "The answer is no. I didn't kill him."

Just Ben was about to give up, he remembered Aurah's last words. _"Don't let her fool you_."

At that instant, Ben came to a revelation. He understood the real reason why Adam chose him. It wasn't because he was the only male in the pack who didn't have a mate.

It was because he hated women! He wasn't smooth towards them. He usually liked teasing them. If there had been for someone else instead of him, he could have been melted away like a marshmallow when he saw her dripping tears in front of him. But Ben wouldn't.

Mia yawned. "Look, I really don't feel like talking anymore."

Ben slowly took his briefcase and came to his feet. "Do you mind if I contact you again on inquiry?"

"As you please." Mia lowered her eyelids.

It was foggy. Soon as he walked out of the door, Ben took his cell phone out of his front pocket and dialed Adam's number.

"This is Hauptman." Adam picked up at the first ring.

"Boss, she's lying. And she's good at it."

"Have you found out anything about the will?"

"Oh, that's the best part. She gets the house and the money!"

"Keep pressing. We're gonna find her fault eventually."

While Ben pulled the door open to his car, he felt a presence watching him.

He turned around and saw a pair of cat's eyes into the darkness as the fog continued to cover the air.


End file.
